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Thief snatches woman's wallet from her hands outside Target parking lot

Hillsborough Co. deputies looking for thief
Posted at 6:09 PM, Jun 02, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-02 18:09:42-04

"I'm just like, wow, really?!" said Tiera Grimes.

This is the guy deputies say snatched a wallet right out of a women's hands in a Target parking lot.

"I'm kinda shocked because usually that's what I bring in-- a wallet in the store. Sometimes I don't want to carry my bag in," said Grimes.

Investigators say the man was panhandling in front of the Target on West Water Avenue for a half an hour before he got desperate, sneaking up behind a 57-year-old woman and her 26 year old daughter, grabbing and running.

"You never know which ones you should give money to, which ones you should stay away from," said Vickie Fisher.

The daughter chased the suspect down to a nearby neighborhood which Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Cristal Nunez says is a dangerous risk.

"Luckily, he didn't have a weapon or chose not to use it," said Nunez.

Deputies say think through a situation like this one so you can prepare.

"If you're watching at home, put your yourself in this situation, so if it were to ever happen to you, you can kind've have a little bit of a game plan," said Nunez.

The suspect tried to use the vicitm's credit card at a gas station on West Linebaugh Avenue but was unsuccessful because the victim canceled her cards quickly.

"i don't know. I probably would have been a little scared myself. I don't know if I would have
run after him either," said Grimes.